(こうりょう)

こうりょう
noun; na-adjective (たる/と)
desolate; bleak; dreary; barren
formalnature
1. desolate; bleak; dreary; barren
A landscape or scene that is vast, empty, and desolate — evoking a sense of loneliness and desolation. Used for barren wastelands, devastated areas, and bleak environments.
荒涼(こうりょう)とした大地(だいち)(ひろ)がる
A desolate landscape stretches out before us.
戦後(せんご)(まち)荒涼(こうりょう)たる光景(こうけい)だった。
The postwar city was a bleak sight.
The winter wilderness of Hokkaido was desolate, with no sign of human presence.

A literary word for bleak, desolate landscapes. Evokes a powerful visual image of vast emptiness and loneliness. Most commonly used with the patterns 荒涼(こうりょう)とした or 荒涼(こうりょう)たる.

Common patterns

A たる-adjective (literary form): 荒涼(こうりょう)たる + noun, or 荒涼(こうりょう)として (adverbial form). The plain な form (荒涼(こうりょう)な) is less common.

Similar words